The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-08
WOOL GROWERS VAIL.
The Allusion to Them in the Message
Makes Them Vince

Makes Them Vince.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7.-The conference of
wool growers and dealers, called by the
President of the National Association of
Wool Growers, now in session here, to-day
adopted the following:
The wool dealers and wool growers Of the
United States representing capital Of over
5OO00O,0 600. and a constituency of a million
wool growers and wool dealers, assembled in
conference in the city Of Washington, this sew
enth day of Desember, 1887. having read
the annual message of the President to The
Fiftieth Congress declare that the sentiments Of
the message are a direct attack upon their in
dustry, one Of the most important of the coun-
try, and in positive violation of the national
Democratic platform of 1884 as interpreted by
the party leaders and accepted by the rank and
file of the party; that the argument made
by the President for the removal Of
our protection against foreign competition
is the old one, repeatedly made by the enemies
of our industrial progress, and effectively an
swered in nearly every school district Of our
land, and so thoroughly disproved by the logic
of facts and the demonstration OF experience
and history as to need no answer from us We
acknowledge that our small holdings, and our
scattered and unorganlzed condition make us
an easy prey of free traders but we had right
10 expect something different from the Chief
Executive of the nation, at once the most happy,
prosperous ana contented of any of the world,
made so by the policy of protection and the de-
had a right to expect our President would favor
the wool growers of the United States, and we
confess our deep disappointment that instead
he favored the interests OF our foreign compcti-
tors. Justly alarmed at his position, we make
an appeal from his recommendation to all the
people, to seven and three-fourths millions Of
our feow-citizens engaged in agriculture, TO
millions engaged in manufacturing, TO the army
of wage earners, whose wages are maintained
by the protective system, to the tradesman and
merchant whose prosperity depends upon ours,
aud AtrFtil
be based upon justice and patriotism, and there
fore for the maintenance of the American policy
OF protection to which the country is indebted
for its unexampled development and prosperity.
To demonstrate the injustice of the Presi-
dents policy, and the policy of the remedy he
proposes for a reduction of the surplus we point
TO the fact that If the whole amount of revenue
derived from wool was abolished, it would re-
duoe the surplus about $5,00O,000, or less than
foreigners, while the old war taxes he recon-
mends retained yield over Sli9,000,000, and Is
direct tax per capita Of 81 each, and is what
makes up the great bulk Of the surplus OF S140,-
100000, and which fosters most dangerous
monopoly.
We would further add the following statistics
in regard TO the wool industry: The annual reve-
nue. derived from imports Of wool under the
tariff of 1867 was less than S1,700,000. Under
was over S5O00,000. The number Of sheep in the
country in 1884 80, ,626 626; in 1887, 447595iS,
a decrease of nearly 6,000,000, and a
diminution Of the annual wool product
of over 35.000,000 pounds thus showing
that reducing the tariff by the act OF 1888 has
increased the revenue from imported woods, and
diminished the number OF sheep In the United